Newer & specialized labs
Thinking Machines Lab
Founded in 2025 by Mira Murati (OpenAI's former CTO) with a team of well-known researchers, focused on making AI systems more understandable, customizable and generally capable.
Checked September 27, 2026
No lab publishes a real roadmap
So this page keeps three things apart on purpose. What has already shipped is dated. What is coming is listed only where the lab itself has said it in public, with the source named. Everything else sits under “What to watch” and is my own read of their shipping pattern — informed guessing, not news. If a date matters to you, check the lab's own page linked above.
What they are
Thinking Machines Lab was founded in 2025 by Mira Murati, OpenAI's former CTO, with a group of well-known researchers. It says its mission is to let more people do research on cutting-edge models and customize them.
Its first product is a tool for researchers rather than a chat app. It also publishes research on its Connectionism blog and funds outside safety work.
What they currently ship
Every model in the directory entry, with its free-tier status.
- Tinker— A fine-tuning API for open-weight models — researchers and developers bring their own data and training loops; access has been via a waitlist.Free with limits
- Note: The lab also funds external work: its Safety Research Grants program supports independent research on AI safety and evaluation.
What you get for free
The honest version, in one paragraph.
Limited and aimed at researchers. Access to Tinker has gone through a waitlist, and you need your own data and some machine-learning know-how to use it. There's no chat app for general users.
Track record
Things that actually happened, oldest first, each with a date.
- February 2025The lab launches publicly under Mira Murati.
- 1 October 2025Tinker launches: an API for fine-tuning open-weight language models, where users control the data and training while the lab handles the infrastructure.
Confirmed and announced
Only what the lab has stated in public. Nothing here rests on a rumor.
Tinker supports a range of large and small open-weight models.
Announced by the lab
A Safety Research Grants program funds independent work on AI safety and evaluation.
Announced by the lab
What to watch
My own read of where this lab is heading, based on how it has shipped so far. Not announcements — treat these as questions to check, not facts.
- — Whether the lab releases a model of its own, or keeps building tools around other labs' open-weight models.
- — How Tinker access changes over time, from waitlist to open sign-up and from free to paid.